It’s no secret that games based on films underperform more often than not. Trying to come up with of a decent list beyond Rare’s N64 classic Goldeneye will give you more nightmares than anything else. Whether they’re interactive rehashes of a blockbuster or delving into the story of an established franchise, the whole ‘designing a game’ bit is usually traded for thoughts of how many bathtubs you’ll need for the cash to be made. The difference with X-Men Origins: Wolverine was that the keys were given to experienced Marvel developer Raven, who has decided to ignore the film’s paltry rating certificate and tear the player a new one with a seriously entertaining hack-and-slash adventure that does a film licence justice.

From the get-go you know this is a bloody action-packed romp; as soon as a rocket takes out Wolverine’s chopper, you take control as he plummets to earth, ready to take some names - and boy does he take them. The gruesome and fast-paced combat ensures that limbs fly and heads roll, but it’s the cutscenes that make full use of the 18 certificate, with Logan stabbing claws through skulls, leaping between speeding cars to lay waste to henchmen, and decapitating pilots with rotor blades before leaping to safety. It's popcorn gaming as its finest.

It’s a relief that it plays as good as it looks. The combat houses a healthy number of ways to dispatch enemies; while many can be taken down with simple claw slashes, lunging adds a strategic and fast way to go toe-to-toe with faraway enemies, and uses an dramatic over-the-shoulder camera that chases Wolverine as he moves in for the kill. A series of special fury attacks can be initiated, from spinning claws to a powerful berserk mode where enemies can be literally torn apart, and a levelling system that offers to tweak abilities depending on your playing style.

Varied henchmen design ensures that you’ll need a range of attack at hand. While lunges are as powerful as they are visually stimulating, tougher enemies dispel them with ease, meaning that throws or grapples are needed. A particular favorite are the invisible ghosts which can see you coming, but a quick grapple turns the shotgun on them to turn their brain into mush. While other hack and slash games bog the player down with more moves than they can remember, here everything has a logical layout, and their gradual introduction means you get ample time to learn them. Stealth kills simply require that you aren’t spotted before the attack and environmental kills are done automatically after a throw, for example.

Feral senses also add an extra dimension to combat and aid exploration by highlighting environmental triggers and enemy types, meaning those hidden by cloaks or in thick smoke can be spotted easily. Despite the game ramping up the pace in parts, the camera works perfectly, and plays as a vital part whether in action or exploration. It also gives hints when blocks need moving or switches thrown by subtly tweaking the viewpoint toward the right direction. Thanks to the tight controls and camera, it’s sound to play even as things get hectic.

The story loosely follows the events of the film, with regular flashbacks to the African mission between escapes from the Weapon X facility and beyond. It adds a few new characters here and there, and makes use of the film’s crew of mutants for some interesting boss encounters. It tends to overuse behemoth enemies (such as the Wendigo prototypes) as mini-boss battles however, especially when they are a simple but tedious exercise of dodging and lunging onto their monstrous backs.

While the puzzles and platforming are somewhat basic and derivative - block pushing, pressure switches, electric keys and turret placements are the order of the day - it’s always a welcome means to break up the action. Dispatching waves of enemies in linear rooms should be more repetitive than it is, but the honed combat and exploration - as well as those awesome cutscenes that piece them together - flow together so well you can’t help but have a great time. The game lasts for an impressive 10-15 hours, but lengthy play sessions may become overbearing since there is a degree of repetition - just take regular breaks!

Its liberal use of the licence takes it beyond the events of the film, with the escape from Alkali Lake a lengthy task instead of a quick ten-second naked run, several location changes for the film’s key events, and classic comic skins to unlock. But the fact that it has this licence really sells it; playing as Wolverine is a complete thrill and lends itself perfectly to the hack-and-slash mechanics (for once recharging health makes sense) and he looks pretty stunning, whether he’s exposing his rib cage after a scrap or showing off his six pack. The environment is full of detail but nothing to shout about, and suffers from an uneven frame rate in the heat of battle.

X-Men Origins: Wolverine doesn’t offer anything we haven’t seen in an action adventure game before, nor will it take the crown from Goldeneye as the most revered use of a film licence, but between its engaging combat and lashings of action it packs one hell of a punch. For those who simply want more from the film, or looking for their next hack-and-slash fix, you can’t go wrong here. Let’s hope this is the start of more X-cellent film licences, eh?